Yu-Gi-Oh! AV
by Antonio Wolfe
Summary: Pre Arc-V; The story of Yu-Gi-Oh! Action Variable begins with two bounty hunters from afar arriving in Domi Nu City to challenge the world champion to a duel! Anton is saved by a mysterious stranger. Will he find a new ally in his rescuer or is something else going on? Tune in and find out! Be sure to read and review!
1. Action 1: Now It's Time to Fly!

Action 1: Now's the Time to Fly!

_Set in the city of Domi Nu, two duelists make their way through the back alleys hoping to collect on a bounty they picked up months ago. Both were nervous, but both had reasons for wanting to see this through to the end. After all, their target was the World Dueling Champion, Ryu Azura otherwise known as the "Dragon Sage Who Returned from the Azure". If they could defeat him they could collect a huge cash reward and become world famous. Maybe then they'd finally leave their life of bounty hunting behind..._

"Anton! ANTON!"

"Dammit, Hunter, what the hell do you want?! We're supposed to be doing this DISCREETLY!Y'know, incognito? Without anyone knowing about it!"

The two young men, Hunter and Anton, glared at each other for a second before sighing. They'd had a long and trying history together as Duelist Hunters. Ever since they were kids, trained and worked to the bone by a group dedicated to force people to duel their way. Dueling was "serious business" and they didn't understand the "power they could obtain" by "ruling the world of Dueling". They understood each other well, and they both thought that this trip was a waste of their talents. They had seen many of the champ's matches and were convinced he was all bark and no real bite.

"Yeah, yeah. Stop lecturing me for a minute and take a look!"

Hunter pointed straight in front of them. Anton sighed and squinted, trying to make out whatever Hunter had pointed to. What could be so importa-

"Oh..."

"Yeah. The Champ's 'home base', as it were. The stadium he uses to take on all comers who try to dethrone him when a tournament isn't going on."

"You don't think he's there right now..."

Anton looked at Hunter. It seems his long-time friend and partner did indeed believe exactly that.

"... really? You think this mission is seriously going to be as easy as, 'walk up, fight, walk off with a victory'?

"Yup."

Anton rolled his eyes and sighed. Well, there wasn't any excuse now. He had wanted to take in some of the sights, but with the promise a mission complete right before him he might as well get it over with. He and his partner continued to walk toward the building their target was possibly residing in while checking over their decks. If they really did get a chance to challenge the Champ, they might as well be prepared for it.

"All the spells and traps are in order..."

Anton reviewed the rules of the game in his head as the two bounty hunters neared the building. The duelist who took the first turn could no longer draw, in addition to being unable to attack. This rule was implemented recently, to lessen the advantage of being able to play your cards without fear of a counter-attack and utilize fast-paced strategies with no interruption. Also, a new form of summoning has recently been discovered. A powerful and quick summoning technique known as Pendulum Summoning had begun to surface as a rumor in the underground dueling world. However...

_We've known about it for some time... I was one of the first to have been a confirmed Arc Traveler. With my command of the different summoning types, the Champ shouldn't be anything to worry about... The only thing that might be difficult to deal with would be the Champ's deck type, which he frequently changes. However, we've studied all the known decks and their potentials. Nothing will surprise us. Especially since I plan I letting him go first._

Hunter interrupted Anton's thoughts with a quick scoff. They both had arrived at the main entrance of the Duel Stadium. Hunter was far more eager to get this over with than Anton. He gestured with his head, signaling to Anton they should make their way inside. Anton nodded back, thinking to himself about how Hunter had no real spirit when it came to the Duel Monsters game.

_He hates it much more than he says.. He's always trying to end matches, and even our trips quickly. Says he's doing things his way, when all he really wants to do is anything but play a game. I guess he figures he's somehow better than all of this. The game has gone global however. Many people are playing, for many reasons. Though, I suppose since we've come to end a person's time playing this game he has the right mindset..._

"Excuse us."

The guards at the front entrance turned and looked at the two duelists. Anton, dressed in his black, hooded vest and gray cargo pants was the more visually unique of the two. His outfit had various chains and ribbons hanging from various parts, including his cloth shirt tied at the lower back with a dark red ribbon and fingerless gloves dangling two short metal chains from the wristband area. Hunter, on the other hand, was dressed a little more normally his jeans hanging loosely and his flame-patterned, white long-sleeved shirt covering his upper body.

"Whatd'ya want, ya brats?"

Anton smirked and narrowed his eyes, while Hunter just sighed in exasperation.

"We're here to challenge the World Champion, if he's around."

One of the guards raised an eyebrow, looked back and forth at the two and then started laughing uncontrollably.

"Ahahahahahahahahaha... I see! Well, I suppose volunteers for the grave had to come sooner or later!"

Anton's gaze darkened and Hunter just glared back.

"What are you talking about, you old fool?"

The other guards smirked as the one who had spoken waved off Anton's comment.

"You'll find out soon enough. Go on in. Ryu Azura welcomes any prey that comes crawling its way into his waiting talons."

The guards stepped swiftly to the side as both Anton and his partner climbed a short staircase and entered the vast Dueling Stadium before them. Eventually, they found their way into the arena, where the Champion was lounging on one of the front row bleachers. As they passed him and took the center stage, he smiled eerily and stood.

"So... you two are my opponents today? Or shall we go one-on-one?"

Hunter shook his head, as if pitying the slightly older man people called the "Dragon Sage". The man wore a blue blazer, black shirt and jeans. His face was a little rugged with a beard that looked like it was just starting to grow in, but his piercing green eyes made Hunter nervous for some reason. Still...

"He doesn't look so sagacious to me. Why don't you handle him yourself, Anton?"

Anton stepped forward and brought up his left arm, readying his duel disk. Ryu just chuckled and started to walk toward his side of the arena.

"It is a shame I won't be able to show this to the public... However... Handle ME?! You two obviously have a lot of confidence, even if it is misguided."

"Shut up. We're not here to listen to you brag. After I crush you, I can finally pay of all my debts with the bounty I collect and I'll be free of this shitty mercenary's life!"

Ryu cocked an eyebrow.

"Mercenary? That... that must mean you're a part of..."

Anton narrowed his eyes even further. Was it possible Ryu knew of the organization he and Hunter belonged to? That shouldn't be possible...

"Yilaster... I thought they had been taken apart a long time ago!"

Hunter's eyes widened. Anton just let out a small breath, but immediately refocused on his target. So, Ryu did know. All the more reason to take him out then. If he could take the World Champ out and further the organization's goals, maybe they'd finally let Anton have his freedom.

"So you know of our masters. Doesn't matter. I'm going to make sure you don't tell anyone! It's time to duel!"

Ryu brought his Duel Disk into battle position, smiling once again. Maybe this duel might be some fun after all. However, he'd have to be wary of his opponent. After the Neo Domino City incidents, and the Barian threat to Heartland City, he hadn't thought Yilaster still had the strength in their group to cause any more trouble. However, as he peered into Anton's eyes he felt something familiar. Something new and dangerous was about to start once more. Anton spoke once more, shaking his thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"I'll let you go first, _Champ_!"

"Don't call me that. I am Ryu Azura, the Dragon Sage Who Returned from the Azure! I will not be mocked by some lackey of a group that should've disappeared long ago! I may not be able to draw, but I will set these two cards, a monster and then ALLOW you to try and keep up with me!"

Anton scoffed. However good Ryu thought he was, he was just a normal man, and Anton had been worked like a dog just for this moment. There was no way he could lose!

"I draw!"

Anton: 4000

Ryu: 4000

Anton scanned his cards and smiled. He had a perfect hand! This was going to be easier than he thought!

"I summon a Savage Cub to my field! (500/0)"

A wolf pup appeared on the field, bursting forth from the earth with a little yip and turned its fiery red gaze on Ryu. Its smooth and cloud-like black and gray fur bristled as it growled at its master's enemy.

"When he's summoned I can send him to the Graveyard to add a Savage monster to my hand. I'll be adding the Savage Swordsman, a Pendulum monster, from my deck to my hand!"

Ryu's eyes narrowed.

_Pendulum monster? I've heard rumors of a new monster type and summoning method... this man wields them? This might be more challenging than thought, even after learning he's a member of Yilaster. However, something's off. I sense he's not quite happy with this situation. I get the feeling he might not want to be doing this... and if I'm correct, that might hinder him enough for me to take him out..._

"With my Swordsman in hand, I set the Pendulum Scale! Come forth, Savage Spirit and Savage Swordsman. Across the dimensions of time and space, the savage roar resounds! The scale is set at one to eight! Rend my enemies asunder, my monsters!"

A giant, ghastly wolf's head appeared in the sky with numbers in its eyes. The left eye beheld the number one while the right gazed forth with the number 8.

_Ah, so now I shall see what Pendulum Summoning entails... and right off the bat, too. So, he has mastery over the technique, eh? Well, good for him! Let's see what you've got, kid!_

"Next, I Pendulum Summon two monsters! The Savage Swordmaster – Wolfe! Heed the howls of your brethren and answer as I beckon with the powers of the savage lunar god! Come forth and slice my enemy to pieces!"

Twin slashes ripped through the air in front of Anton, ripping a hole in the fabric of the dimension as out stepped two identical copies of the card the bounty hunter had summoned. Clad in black, with scant silver armor covering vital target areas and large steel slabs that could only be described as zanbatou the two swordmaster monsters stared down at Ryu their gaze fierce and unforgiving.

"I play the Quick-play Spell, Psychoslash, to ensure further protection of the monsters I just summoned. Psychoslash allows me to protect one of my Savage monsters from your Spells and Traps this turn at the cost of being unable to activate its own effects. However, the other Swordmaster's effect will activate, returning Psychoslash from my Graveyard to my hand, and preventing my second Swordmaster from being destroyed by Spells or Traps because I did so!"

Both swordmasters stood tall and proud, their 2500 ATK points focused straight at Ryu.

"Attack, Swordmaster one! One-hit, sure kill! Lunar Fang Flourish!"

With god-like speed the swordmaster rushed forth and cleaved into Ryu's monster, following his attack up by planting his sword into the ground and kicking the severed monster's half away. The monster exploded in a furious ball of light and Ryu smiled.

"That's a mistake that will cost you dearly! You just destroyed my Light Dragonstar Rifun!"

"Your what?!"

"It is a new class of monster... The Genryu. Their powers combined with my prowess will win me the day! As the Light Dragonstar dies, another star is born! Come forth from my deck, Earth Dragonstar Heikan!"

A new monster appeared in the place of the one the first swordmaster had slain and roared at Anton, who just scowled.

"You might be preventing damage with that move, but you aren't accomplishing anything a Spell or Trap couldn't do better! Swordmaster two, Psychoslash! His second effect activates! When I attack a Special Summoned monster with the Swordmaster, that monster is destroyed without calculating damage and you lose 800 life points!"

The second swordmaster let out a blade of light that split into several different slashes as it neared the second Dragonstar, cutting the monster into pieces and causing it to crumble away.

Ryu: 3200

"Another bad move! My Dragonstar dies, but once again and new star is born! Come forth, Fire Dragonstar Shungei! And moreover, the Light Dragonstar you destroyed first has an effect that resurrects it when another Dragonstar dies!"

"Tch! Fine, I'll set one card and end my turn."

_After all that work, he has two monsters on the field and both of his face-downs? One of the monsters is a Tuner, so I expect he'll Synchro Summon next turn. Well, I have a plan for that. If his new monster tries to destroy any of mine, he's gonna be in for a nasty surprise. So, bring it on Champ. I'm ready for you!_

"Finally. I thought you'd never end... You're good but... I'm better! Draw!"

Ryu smiled and threw his arm out.

"Trap, activate! Call of the Haunted!"

_Oh... fu-_

"I re-summon my third Dragonstar! I'll tune them together to Synchro Summon Shining Dragonstar Shofuku!"

"Oh, yeah, well I'm ready for you! You won't be able to destroy my monsters that easily!"

"Who said anything about destroying them?"

"WHAT?!"

"I return them. TO. THE. DECK! Shofuku's Summoning effect, Star Zephyr, go!"

Anton's eyes went wide as his monsters and his trap were blown off the field as a ball of pure white light came down from the ceiling and drowned the area in its radiance. As the brilliant light settled the shape of the monster twisted and bent, forming a massive white dragon glaring down at the young bounty hunter.

"Shofuku has one more effect, and enhancing his abilities are the Dragonstar's I used to summon him. He has 2800 ATK and I will use his second effect to destroy my Call of the Haunted, which allows me to re-summon my Fire Dragonstar! You field is empty, expect for the two Pendulum monsters you set the scale with!"

Anton stood speechless before the awe-inspiring dragon and its unforgiving master, the Dragon Sage Who Returned from the Azure. As the Fire Dragonstar was once again reborn, Anton dropped to his knees. He had thought he had come here prepared for anything. He was wrong.

"YOU. LOSE!"

Ryu threw his arm forward and his monsters attacked, bathing Anton in their fury as the stadium was obscured by the Real Solid Vision explosion that rocked the young man and dropped him to the ground.

Anton: LOSE

Ryu: WIN

TO BE CONTINUED...

_Phew. Long first chapter. Let's do some 'splainin' before we move on to my thoughts. First, the AV in the title stands for Action Variable, to let people know that this series will include all forms of summoning up to Arc-V's starting point. Which is another thing. AV takes place after 5d's and sometime in between the end of ZeXal and the start of Arc-V. Anton, our protagonist, is a member of Yilaster so I'll obviously be doing some stuff with them later. Anton's deck is a fast-summon survival deck with the Savage and Savage Guardian monsters (cards I made up) as it's them. Ryu uses the three Dragonstars that've been revealed so far and creams him. Who knows what's going to happen now? Well, I do, but that's not the point! Tune in next time!_


	2. Action 2: Now It's Time to Fly, Part 2

Action 2: Now's the Time to Fly, Part 2!

Anton was still for a while, the shock of his ineptitude paralyzing him. How could he have lost? How could the champion be this good? Yilaster had drilled his skills into him for almost his whole life. Yet, the Champion was better?

"That's... not..."

Ryu looked upon his opponent and shook his head. While the kid was good, he hadn't noticed his own weaknesses yet.

"Stand up, kid. I didn't beat you that badly for no reason!"

Anton's body twitched, his thoughts shaken and his mind now re-focused on the area around him. He slowly brought himself to a standing position and cast a hard gaze at the Dragon Sage.

"Now, now. Don't give me such an evil look. You played pretty well, but you... defeated yourself. You can't beat me with some half-hearted determination, or desire. You summoned two monsters of the same level and yet, you didn't Xyz Summon... Why? You only played one of the cards from your hand face-down. You really didn't have any other Spell or Traps to use?"

Anton's eyes widened. His former opponent was right. Anton was in such a hurry to get the duel over with he had misplayed. The shock of this truth shook him to his core. Ryu had seen right through him, and while his words might sound harsh to the unobservant it was plain that Ryu was not angry or bitter but rather, disappointed. When Anton had challenged him, Ryu must've sensed something about the young man that made him want to fight...

_But I... disgraced that. I didn't fight with all my power... and he answered me in kind. He showed me that someone who wasn't serious about their challenge would be ignored and cast aside. No wonder... He really is a powerful Duelist. What those old fools at the top would call a True Duelist. Damn... I underestimated him, and I shamed myself..._

Anton smiled grimly and hung his head. Putting his hands into his pockets he sighed heavily.

"I see... You're right. Sorry for wasting your time. Yilaster won't like this but I guess this mission is a failure."

Hunter roared and jumped onto the stage from where he was. His rage was apparent as he glared at Anton, then turned his head to meet the Dragon Sage's own glare.

"You are both pathetic! This game is just a method people use to further more important desires! Look at you two, taking it so seriously! You suck! Anton, if you can't beat this guy, fine! However, declaring the mission a failure just because your pathetic attempt at dueling didn't work? Unforgivable! I'll take him out, and when we get back you're going to answer to me!"

Anton's gaze hardened. He knew his partner never really liked the game very much, but he never knew that his true nature was this malicious.

_I suppose it isn't any wonder why he was assigned as my partner. He was watching over me, and I'll bet he reported on anything I screwed up on in secret. My very own leash-holder. He's been with me nearly every day since I was forced to join that crappy secret society... Duelist Hunters? More like assassins. We'd go around and ruin people, forcing them to quit the game forever as we took their decks or destroyed their minds..._

Anton's fist clenched and even as Ryu stepped forward to meet Hunter as the next challenger, the young man put his arm out and signal the Champion to stay back.

"Leave him to me. You have more important things to be doing, Dragon Sage. For example, preparing for an eventual rematch with me would be a good idea!"

Ryu smirked as Anton boasted. The two enemies that had come before him were very unique indeed. If the two needed to resolve their own issues this badly, he'd take his leave as Anton suggested. He didn't mind letting these two mess around a bit. However...

"I don't quite think it would be proper for the Champion to vacate his own arena."

Anton went still for a moment and then chuckled.

"Eh heh. Whoops. Looks like I'm making a fool of myself again... You're correct, of course. I can't really tell you to leave your own turf. However, I don't know how likely it is Hunter will follow me if I leave the Arena first."

"Not a problem. Your cocky and malevolent young friend will leave with you..."

The air began to thin as Ryu's voice took a deeper and more serious tone. The Sage's eyes flashed for a moment and it seemed like two markers started to fade in on his cheeks. The markers were light blue and fang-shaped, giving the Champion a more sinister look.

"... because if he doesn't, he will suffer."

There was power in Ryu's words. Both Hunter and Anton took notice of the marked change in their former prey's demeanor. Both had their own thoughts on the matter, but silently they agreed, it was time to leave. The two wordlessly lowered their guard and walked off, both making sure to keep one another squarely focused in their sights. Ryu watched the two leave and folded his arms, his thoughts mired in doubt now.

_As fun as THAT was, I'm more than a little worried Yilaster is on the move again. The old guard should have rid the world of them. People like Yugi, Jaden, Yusei and others defeated the ones who've come to collectively call themselves Yilaster. Those who move about in the shadows and "correct" history, change the world as they fit to what they believe is the "right path" and stand above humanity, if only in their own minds. My own findings, as well as those of my mentor's, suggested that while they moved about during the Barian invasion they ended up spending too much time planning and lost their chance to act and with it, most of their power. Though, I suppose, that is those kids are their top pawns now they've still managed to fall behind in quality a bit. Anton, wasn't it? The fact he misplayed means that some within their new organization aren't quite comfortable being slaves to masters who don't recognize them. They no longer have a tight hold on what their minions think, and that just might be something I can use to my advantage while gathering allies to fight any new threats._

**MEANWHILE, AT THE NEW HQ OF YILASTER...**

"So, Anton has finally decided to show us his true colors?"

A pretty red-haired woman wearing a sleeveless jean jacket, tight black shirt, a short blue skirt and black boots spoke to two silhouettes. The two figures turned to her and nodded.

"That is correct, Lady Lilith. Hunter is with him now, so we expect the matter will be resolved quickly. However, if your guess is correct, Anton will defeat Hunter and try to leave us."

The red-head smiled. Anton thought he could back out now, did he?

"Excellent. I will begin my preparations immediately. If Anton does leave us..."

The girl licked her lips and smiled a nasty, unforgiving grin.

"I will take great pleasure in persuading him to come back... by force!"

The twin shadows chuckled. Lilith was known for her twisted, subtle cruelty, and Anton had always been a target for her machinations.

"Try not to break our toy too much. We still need him in a fixable state."

Lilith scoffed and turned away, walking out of the room to begin her task.

"Don't worry yourselves. I promise to hold back when I play with him. After all, he was always my favorite toy..."

**BACK IN DOMI NU CITY...**

"So, you're going to betray us after all, eh Anton?"

Hunter smirked at his former partner. He would enjoy picking this ungrateful little bastard apart piece by piece. He would teach him that this game was nothing more than a means to an end and he would do so without mercy or remorse.

"... You all knew all along, didn't you? You and the others must've had doubts from the beginning about me. Even though I was a child, I suppose my rebellious streak always kept me apart from the rest of Yilaster. The little savage, right? Too dumb to understand the ideals and concerns of those in power within the organization. A dropout who wasn't worthy of the glorious Yilaster cause. Heh. You're all more pathetic than I am, I think. Brainless trash who can't think or act without orders."

Hunter growled. Anton was quickly getting on his bad side.

"How dare you? You think you are making the right choice? What do you know of responsibility? Yilaster has always sheltered you and taught you and given you the skills you need to survive in this world."

"This world sucks if people like you can do whatever they want with their lives. The world is beyond hope if Yilaster's way of thinking is 'the correct path'. I was promised release. The job of taking out the Champion was to be my last assignment and then I could leave this mercenary's life behind me. I wonder now, however, how true that promise was. Would I really have been allowed any freedom? Or was it just another lie to keep me working?"

Hunter glared at Anton but said nothing.

"... yeah, that's what I thought. You're a piece of crap, y'know that? Ryu was right. My drive to defeat him might've been incredibly weak... but you? I want to tear you apart with every fiber of my being!"

"You're getting too cocky. It's time I put you in your place."

"If you can. I may not have seen you battle before, but I know your personality. I want to know why you like this job so much? Isn't this just too petty, even for you? Ruining other people's enjoyment because you don't like something? What are you, five?"

Hunter snarled and whipped up his duel disk.

"Maybe, by some miracle, you'll happen to beat me. If that happens, I'll tell you the answers to those questions. However, even if you do win... You know you'll be hunted, don't you? Yilaster won't leave you alone. You'll be on the run for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?"

Anton closed his eyes and sighed. His former partner had a point. Yilaster wasn't known for their compassion or willingness to move on. However, he had made his decision and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

"Not even you... It's time to duel, Hunter!"

Anton: 4000

Hunter: 4000

"I see. You're going to regret this. I'll take the first turn!"

"Why do you even care, Hunter? My leaving Yilaster doesn't affect you at all. Sure, the mission will fail, but you won't be punished. In fact, I'm willing to bet you'd be given new power to come and hunt me down."

"You definitely don't get it. I know what you are capable of. I've been watching you since you were first taken in by the organization. You are powerful. Yilaster needs that power of yours to correct the world. As it is, you are just holding us back right now. If I can defeat you and bring you back, Yilaster will correct this world. No more will people fight over this game. No more will the world be changed by it. I am the servant of Yilaster. Their goals are my goals. Their plan is my wish. You are standing in their way, and so I will defeat you."

"Pretty speech, but I don't buy it! You don't care about me anymore than the rest of Yilaster's dogs. As for that grand plan of saving the world, I call bull. Yilaster's way of thinking isn't the only one. I will find an answer for myself on how to live in the world today. You want a fight? Fine. Bring it on."

"My move!"

Hunter glanced at the five cards he'd drawn and smiled. His deck was already preparing him for Anton's punishment. He'd make sure Anton suffered for his betrayal. However, he was going to take his time and make Anton's suffering last.

"For your sin, I will deliver punishment. I set a card and play the Quick Spell, Wheel of Life – First Movement!"

Light burst forth from the sky and a golden circle depicting animals, people, ghosts and demons appeared before Anton. It began to rotate and grew brighter until the light exploded and drowned out the area in its radiance. Anton braced himself for whatever was coming next. Hunter had never let Anton see his duels, and the Savage Master figured it was for this very reason.

_It doesn't matter... Whatever his deck is, and whatever plays he makes, I have to win. I never thought leaving Yilaster would be easy, but I'm certainly not going to give up. If my escape costs me something, so be it. Any sacrifice will be worth it if I can truly escape._

"The Wheel of Life – First Movement lets me add a D. Hunter monster from my deck to my hand as long as it has 4 stars or less! I choose this one, D. Hunter – the Human Realm and summon it to the field!"

A human-looking monster burst forth from the ground and roared, point a spear at Anton. The young duelist smiled. (1600/0)

"A monster based on a school of thought. How very like you, Hunter. However, my faith in myself is more powerful than your belief in Yilaster and I'll prove it!"

"I doubt it! The Human Realm has a few effects, one of which I will activate now. When the Human Realm enters play it cannot be destroyed until my next Standby Phase. After this effect has been activated, I may add another D. Hunter monster to my hand. If I do not summon it this turn using the Human Realm as a tribute, I take 1000 points of damage. I take 1000 points of damage!"

"What the...?"

Fire surrounded Hunter, and charred him as he dropped to one knee. The flames died down almost as quickly as they had been conjured by their effect remained and Hunter's life points fell.

Hunter: 3000

Anton's opponent smiled. His plan was no in motion and Anton had no idea what to expect. With only 4000 life points to start with, one normally wouldn't want to take 1000 points of damage. However, the card Hunter had added to his hand changed all that. Still, Anton did have one turn to save himself.

_Let's see if he can survive the trials of my D. Hunter deck..._

"No time to worry about something I can't see right now. Whatever your plan is Hunter, I'm not going to let myself lose! I draw! Wolfe, the Silent Savage... come forth!"

With a fierce gust of wind, a warrior garbed in black and holding two blades shaped like fangs materialized on the field, pointing one blade at Hunter and taking its battle stance. (1800/1000)

"Now, I'm going to make you regret not saving your life points! I play the fusion spell, Lunar Phase: Savage Roar. This allows me to target one Savage monster I control and Special Summon a Fusion Monster using the monster as the only material. With this I'll summon my Savage Guardian – Wolfe the Lone Fang!"

The first monster Anton had summoned exploded into flames and an instant later the flames grew dark and solidified into a new monster, wearing onyx metal armor and a long white coat, holding a large steel slab-shaped sword. (2500/1000)

"When this monster comes into play, I can banish one Savage monster in my Graveyard to select monster you control and banish it. That leaves you wide open for my Lone Fang's attack! Crtiical Hit, Rending Flash Fang!"

The monster charged Hunter and cleaved into the young man, causing him to gasp in pain and his life points to drop severely.

Hunter: 500

"Heheheheh... You did it. You trigger my trap! Cyclic Rebirth – Pain Transference!"

"What...?!"

"This trap activates when I fall below 500 life points within the three turns. It switches our life points and ends the turn."

Hunter: 4000

Anton: 500

"Damn... Fine, your move."

_Crap... I had a few more plays to make. Now I'm at 500 life points and I have no face-downs. However, I noticed that he reduced his life points on purpose now so that when I attacked him he could activate his trap. That monster in his hand needs to have at least 3000 points to defeat me this turn, but if it had I think he would've set-up a better defense last turn just in case I hit his hand. Which means it is probably a defensive monster..._

"Draw. You seem to be trying to guess what I'm thinking. Let me just tell you this... I may know how you think, but you'll never be able to guess what my moves are. You never cared enough about me as a partner to truly learn who I am. You don't know my cards because I didn't let you watch my battles, but you don't know my strategy because you never tried to learn who I really was!"

"Stop spouting bullshit! We've been together long enough. You're right, I don't know your cards, but if you have a good side you've hidden it away. You're evil, I can see that now. I thought you were just disinterested before, but I CAN tell what you're thinking now. You just see me as an obstacle and this game as a way to further what your goals are. Here's the difference between us. I love this game! While I might not like the way the game has progressed I was always interested. I will always fight the way I want and I always want to improve! The game might not let me sometimes, but winning is fun and losing teaches me how to get better! Whatever your plan is, I'm going to beat you!"

"Big words, from such a little pup. I'll show you that no matter how savage you think you are, my pain is much more powerful! I remove three D. Hunter cards from my hand, the Hungry Ghost Realm, the Demon Realm and the Hell Realm to summon the card I added to my hand. Come forth, D. Hunter – the God Realm."

"... the WHAT?!"

Hunter grinned malevolently. He had Anton just where he wanted him. As he finished placing his card on his Duel Disk, a stream of golden light bathed him in its glow. A large man, sitting cross-legged and hands clasped in prayer descended onto the field covered from head to toe is golden armor. (4000/4000)

"The God Realm has all of the powers of my removed from play D. Hunters, and continues to gain powers as more of my D. Hunters are removed from play. However, each turn that passes one of my removed D. Hunters loses their effects until the end of the duel. When the God Realm loses all of its effects it is destroyed and all of my monsters regain their effects. I can then summon the God Realm back by negating the effects of one my removed from play monsters until the end of the duel. This is the true power of my deck."

_Shit... I don't even know all of the monster effects of one of his banished D. Hunters. This looks bad..._

"You do have a chance though. You may negate either an attack or my monster's effect by paying 500 life points."

Anton's eyes widened. There was a way out... however...

"I only have 500 life points. I'll lose no matter which one I pick..."

"Correct."

Anton's eye darkened. So, there was no way out...? No.. something was wrong here. Sure, Hunter had summoned an extremely powerful monster. Something felt off, though. Something about the way this monster had been summoned and Hunter's words were still bothering him...

"The God Realm's attack, Eternal Samsaric Flare!"

"Aw... crap!"

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

_So, there's the second chapter. Ryu gives some pretty good advice to Anton. The plot of the actual series begins when Anton tries to leave Yilaster and things look bad now as Hunter summons what is probably his most powerful monster. I enjoyed writing this chapter, as I was inspired by my friend Bluestar899's own YGO fanfic. Go check it out. It takes place post Arc-V but some characters with the same names will be showing up in my fic, though they are unrelated. I just like a lot of the concepts he uses. Meanwhile, on the "deep" side of things I inject a little YGO philosophy into the chapter and I'd like to hear what everyone thinks. 'Til next time!_


	3. Action 3: Now It's Time to Fly, Part 3

Action 2: Now's the Time to Fly, Part 3!

"The God Realm's attack, Eternal Samsaric Flare!"

"Aw... crap!"

**OPENING: Infinity by BACK-ON**

_He says there's a way out of this?! What a do-wait... no. He might just be telling the truth. I have 500 life points left. Exactly enough to pay to stop either the attack, which will wipe out the rest of my life points or the monster's effects for the turn... Hm... If he's telling the truth the choice I have to make is..._

"I'll pay 500 life points to negate the attack, keeping my monster safe from your attack!"

Hunter: 3500

Hunter's life points dropped suddenly and the enigmatic young man smiled eerily.

"So, you figured it out.. Or at the very least, you gambled on the correct choice! The God's Realm first effect, possessed by the Hungry Ghost Realm. Whenever a player would pay life points that would cause their life point total to drop to zero or below the opponent is forced to pay those points instead. Both player's are allowed to use this effect during either turn. Sometimes, people over-think the obvious and are deceived by the words other people use. I intend to prolong your suffering, but at the same time I will test you thoroughly. If you do get passed, I will have no regrets and my position within Yilaster will be safe!"

Anton growled at his enemy. It was a decent trick, but he had just managed to barely scrape by. Hunter was stronger than Anton could've ever imagined. The God Realm's first ability wasn't exactly helpful as much as it was interesting but Hunter had been nice enough to give a clue on how to use it.

_I bet that's the last time I'm getting any help from him though._

"Continuing on... The Human Realm's effects belong to the God Realm as well, since you banished him last turn. I'll be activating his second effect now. When a monster that was added to my hand by the Human Realm doesn't destroy a monster during a Battle Phase after attacking I can draw one card. However, by using this effect I cause you to gain 500 life points."

Anton: 1000

"Hn..."

_True to its name I suppose. It appears the God Realm monster controls life and death all by itself. How do I defeat something like that...?_

"I'll set the card I drew and end my turn. I hope you entertain me even more this next turn, as I choose my Hungry Ghost Realm monster to receive the God Realm's judgment. The monster loses its effects as the turn passes to you."

"Cocky bastard. I'll show you a thing or two, and I truly hope you regret every moment of it! Draw!"

_Perfect. Just the card I needed to bring his monster down._

"I'll set the Pendulum Scale from 1 to 8 by laying my Savage Spirit and Savage Swordsman in the Pendulum Zone. Now, through the power granted to me by my monsters, I command thee to appear. The power of the Arc Traveler beckons you to battle, The Savage Swordmaster – Wolfe! When my monster is Pendulum summoned I may return a Spell card from my Grave to my hand. I choose the Spell Lunar Phase: Savage Roar."

A green light shot from Anton's Graveyard and his fusion spell returned to his hand a moment later. Anton smirked and threw his arm out, signaling his continuation.

"Furthermore, using this effect causes my monster to be unable to be destroyed until the End Phase of this turn. Also, you may remember from my duel with the Champion that my Swordmaster has an effect which immediately destroys a Special Summoned monster that battles this card without damage calculation and inflicts 800 points of damage on you. Go, Swordmaster! Lunar Fang Flourish!"

Anton's monster charged forward and sliced through the God Realm with ease, causing a massive explosion that rocked the area and sent both duelists flying from the resulting shockwave. Anton stood first, glaring at Hunter as if he was an animal ready to close in on its prey. Hunter just smiled back and pressed a button on his Duel Disk.

Hunter: 2700

"When the God Realm is destroyed, I can activate another one of its absorbed effects. The Hell Realm's effect allows me to bring my monster back from death."

"Tch. So you even knew that I'd manage to destroy the God Realm monster?"

"Indeed. As I said before, I know you quite well and am very aware of the power and skill you possess. That is why I cannot allow you to just leave Yilaster."

"Oh yeah...? Well, I'm not going to just let you stop me! I re-use the Spell card I just brought back to my hand, Lunar Phase: Savage Roar! This morphs my Swordmaster into another Savage Guardian! With the second Lone Fang's appearance I suppose I should let you know that these guys are Beast-type monsters."

Hunter quirked an eyebrow. The Savage Guardian monster looked human enough, though he supposed their long manes of black hair could be hiding some animal-like ears and since the monsters hadn't opened their mouths and just growled at him a bit it might be possible they had fangs. Still...

"What's the point of telling me? I don't much care what they are."

"Heh. The point is that my Xyz monster requires two Beast-type Savage monsters!"

"Wait, your what...?!"

"I overlay the two Savage Guardian monsters to Xyz Summon the Savage Guardian – Wolfe the Furious Flash! When this monster is Xyz Summoned , all the cards you control are banished and you take 500 points of damage for each card banished by this effect. So say good-bye to your monster, your face-down and 1000 points!" (3200/2000)

"Not so fast! First, I'll activate the Demon Realm's effect! Once per turn, I may choose to have the God Realm become immune to other monster effects besides its own. I will do so now, which triggers the trap I had placed as well! Broken Chain Banishment! This banishes a D. Hunter monster from my deck and allows me to draw another card! I send D. Hunter – the Animal Realm from my deck to the banished zone. This further powers up my God Realm."

"Hn_._ You still take 500 points of damage, even though your trap's effect resolves properly."

Hunter: 2200

_Also, you seem to be unaware of this monster's second effect. You might have seen me duel a number of times, but I've never had to go all-out. So, you don't know everything I'm capable of, just a good deal of it. I'll be sure to let you experience my power at its finest!_

"I'll set my remaining two cards and pass the turn over to you."

"Hah! My God Realm's monster effect causes the Animal Realm monster I just banished to lose all of its effects. However, I still have the protection effects of the Hell and Demon Realms. Looks like you're running out of options! Draw! I play the Spell card, Bliss Attack! When a D. Hunter monster I control attacks during the Battle Phase this turn I can make it a direct attack!"

"I don't think so! My Xyz monster's second effect will put a stop to that plan.l I detach one Overlay Unit, then banish a Savage monster from my hand or Graveyard to negate the activation of that card and destroy it!"

"Damn. I still have more plays, though! I'll play Punishment Eternal. This will send your monster to the graveyard but give you life points equal to half its attack or defense!"

"I know what you're doing. You're thinking that if I use up all of my Overlay Units, you have a clear shot to victory! However, I already told you! I will do whatever it takes to win here! I send my monster's last Overlay Unit to the Graveyard and then banish it to negate the Spell!"

"I'll play the final card then! Deliverance from Pain! I destroy your monster and then select one monster on my field. That monster gains the effects of the destroyed monster!"

"Sorry. You just made your biggest mistake of the duel!"

"What are you blathering about? You have no Overlay Units to stop me with!"

"You're right. However, my Pendulum monsters have effects too!"

"WHAT?!"

"Savage Swordsman's Pendulum Effect! When a card is played that would destroy a Savage monster I control I can pay 500 life points to change that card's effect to draw 1 card. You get to draw, but my monster is safe for now!"

Anton: 500

"Tch! I'll take that present then, and draw."

Hunter swiftly drew a card, glanced at it and scowled. Anton had proven much stronger than he thought. He'd managed to hang on for several turns and now, when it counted the most, the Savage Master's luck was beginning to improve. There was no doubt about it anymore. Anton was strong.

"I still have my attack. God Realm, destroy his monster and end the duel!"

"Sorry, again. However...!"

"What now?! You can't be this powerful! YOU CANNOT BEAT ME!"

"I can... and I will! I activate one of my face-down cards, Lunacy! Lunacy powers up my monster by 400 points and protects it from destruction by battle!"

Anton: 100

Flames from the God Realm's attack enveloped Anton and caused him to drop to one knee. His breathing was ragged and his body was aching all over. However, he was still in the game. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes changed color from a redish-brown to one black and one white iris.

"God dammit! You won't be so lucky next turn!"

"There isn't going to be a next turn for you. I... draw. Lunacy has another effect. By banishing this card from my Graveyard I can add a Lunar Phase or Lunar Rank card from my deck to my hand."

"... Lunar Rank?"

"A Rank spell designed specifically for my Savage monsters! Yilaster did provide some good cards to me, I'll give you that. However, I am the one who decided what to use them for! And I have decided I am not going to be anyone's puppet a moment longer! I add Lunar Rank: Fang Phase Shift to my hand and then play it! This allows me to summon a Xyz monster exactly one rank higher or lower than the monster I select to Rank. Come forth, Rank 8! The Savage Guardian – Wolfe the Alpha!" (0/0)

"... what the hell is THAT?! A monster with 0 ATK is your trump card? Are you mocking me!?"

"... sure, something like that. My monster may have no attack points, however its effects more than make up for that. As a Divine attribute monster, my new monster is in a class of its own. First, it cannot be destroyed at all. Second, when my monster attacks monsters that have a different attribute than this monster lose their effects. Third, when this monster battles with another monster I take no battle damage and half of that monster's attack points are deducted from the controller of that monster's life points."

"Hah! Half of my monster's attack you say? Well, maybe you're weaker than I thought! My monster has 4000 ATK! That's only a 2000 point deduction. My monster may lose its effects, but with the cards I have in my hand your monster won't be around for long!"

"I already told you, you have no next turn. Wolfe the Alpha's attack! Revenge Fang, go!"

The monster, a spectral wolf glowing with a brilliance unseen for thousands of years turned its anger-filled red gaze on the God Realm. A savage beast was going to bring this God down to its world. That was its ultimate revenge. The wolf charged and in an instant ripped at the God's throat, causing a massive explosion that shook the surrounding area and sent Hunter flying backwards into a nearby wall. As Hunter fell to the ground he coughed up blood and growled in rage.

"How dare you?!"

Hunter: 200

"Don't worry. I'm ending your pain now. Trap card, activate! Wolfgangster! When I activate this trap, I select a Savage Guardian on my field. If the selected monster attacked another monster this turn I can have that monster attack again and if that monster deals damage due to this effect the damage is doubled!"

"T-that's... not..."

"That's 4000 damage! TAAAAAAAAAAAAKE THIS! REVENGE FANG, FULL FURY!"

Once again the wolf leaped at the God and furiously ripped and clawed at the golden being, tearing it to pieces and causing another explosion of flame that consumed Hunter.

"Aaaaaarrrrrrrgh!"

The flames evaporated a second later, leaving Hunter charred as he fell face-first into the ground.

"... you shouldn't have tried to stop me, partner."

Hunter: LOSE

Anton: WIN

The charred quality of Hunter's body healed instantly, the Real Solid Vision effects dissipating as the duel was confirmed over by the Duel Disks and D-Gazers. Anton took a moment to prop his unconscious former partner's form against a wall and walked off, clutching his side. He still felt the effects of the dark powers Yilaster had given all of their charges. Hunter was particularly skilled in using them, Anton noted, as his body was still sore even after the duel was over.

"Damn... I have to get to a hospital, fast... Who knows when I'm going to have to fight off another Yilaster next?"

Anton slowly walked out of the alley. However, as soon as he came out of the narrow corridor he was assaulted by a beam of energy that sent him flying off his feet and caused him to skid across the ground a bit.

"Hrk... W-what..."

He looked up, and his eyes widened in horror. Standing a few feet away from him was Lady Lilith, one of the most powerful duelists he'd ever had the displeasure of knowing. She had always gone out of her way to make his life a living hell at Yilaster when they were in the same room. She took some sort of twisted pleasure in watching him bleed. Plainly put, she was far worse than Hunter had ever been or could ever hope to be...

"Not now... Oh god... not now..."

"Stand up, darling. It's time for round two."

Anton grimaced as he pull himself to his feet. There was no way he was going to win against her. Especially not in his current condition. However, if he didn't fight there was a lot of pain and suffering in store for him, even before he would be dragged back to Yilaster for "disciplining".

"Well, let's have us a merry little death battle, shall we? Now's the time to fly... or fall!"

"Sounds great, Lilith, but I don't expect you'll share any of the dying. You're just going to negate any actual pain caused to you so only I suffer!"

"Hehe, too true. Still, it's not like you can escape or turn me down, is it?"

Anton wearily brought up his Duel Disk and prepared to battle.

Anton: 4000

Lilith: 4000

"Big man. Looks like you might be a little more entertaining than the last time we dueled."

Anton though back to a few months ago. Lilith had challenged him to a duel after goading him into attacking her. She had tortured a fellow disciple and was blaming it on Anton. Everyone else had stood back and opted to do nothing, as Lilith was widely regarded as the best duelist of their age group. Anton demanded the right to defend himself against her lies, and a duel had been forced upon him. After only a turn, she managed to thoroughly crush him. After he was punished she had ambushed him on the way back to his detention cell and given him a kiss on the cheek, saying thanks for being such a loser. He was taken back to his cell by two guards as he swore vengeance on her, with her laughing all the while. She was a psycho and if he fought her now, he wasn't likely to survive.

"B-bitc-"

A sharp pain shot through the young man and he fell back down to his knees. He was losing consciousness even before fighting Lilith.

"... damn..."

Anton passed out and collapsed.

"Ooooh, how sweet of you, honey. Looks like I win."

Lilith took a step forward. Time to collect the trash and deposit it back where it belonged...

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

_The third chapter's done and it looks like Anton's gone from the frying pan into the fire. Lilith shows up and is no stranger to fighting dirty. The duel was fun to write as I took a lot of queues from the show on how to have a good flow of one turn to the next. Hunter might be back at some point, but for now Anton has, obviously, bigger problems to deal with. And yes, I did save the title drop until the last part on purpose. See you all next time! … now to work on my web show..._


	4. Action 4: The Road From Here On Out

Action 4: The Road From Here On Out

**INFINITY by BACK-ON**

We're never turning back! Cut off the indecision!**  
**Today, we'll fly out to the undiscovered possibilities

Anyone can change direction from their past, but being the same as everyone? No way!I'll hold your hand and we'll fly! Break the rules, I'm a new type!**  
**Come, let's go to a future spreading in this sky! Let's go! It's show time!I want to keep running passionately forever, showing my own manifesto

I want to be able to feel more freely, 'cause just following the theory, isn't it boring!?An interrupted shining light! I'm jumping now into the battle**  
**You gotta show me ya attack, show me what you've got, if you are all talk then get out of my way!I might as well bluff... that feeling makes things move all the time!

Let's create a world that no one has ever seen, let's go now!I want to always remain defiant even if they call me reckless and laugh at me!**  
**I want to live by intuitions. Theories? We can just make them up, right?

BACK OFF! BACK OFF! Everybody get down!**  
**Bring it on! Shooting with a machine gun**  
**Grasp the freedom with your hand in this random battle without rules

I want to keep running passionately forever, showing my own manifesto**  
**I want to be able to feel more freely, 'cause just following the theory, isn't it boring!?I want to always remain defiant even if they call me reckless and laugh at me!**  
**I want to live by intuitions. Theories? We can just make them up, right?

Lilith took a step forward. Time to collect the trash and deposit it back where it belonged... Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"I really don't think you want to go through with that."

Lilith growled and turned her head to gaze the newcomer grabbing her arm. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she recognized the person standing before her.

"Aqua... One of the foremost duelists in the world... However, you lost to the Champion in the Quarter Finals of the last world tournament and haven't been seen since."

The young man standing before her, dressed in a light blue jacket and beige cargo pants just glared at her stoically, his expression something akin to mild annoyance and disapproval.

"You like to talk about sore subjects for other people a lot, don't you. I noticed you were abusing this Duelist... and I to be perfectly honest I only came here because of all the commotion in the area. In other words... I know who you are too, Yilaster."

The Yilaster assassin narrowed her eyes some more. Her eyes were barely visible but it was clear from her demeanor that Aqua's words were bothering her. She had come here to force Anton to return to the organization, preferably with lots of violence and torture. However, if random Duelists were catching wind of what was happening here it was time to move on. Aqua seemed like he'd be more trouble than he was worth, but Lilith's pride would not just let her leave. There was no reason to run from someone weaker than she was. Aqua interrupted her thoughts by looking at Anton and speaking in a soft, but very deliberate manner.

"If you intend to harm the Duelist lying there, I'm going have to Duel you... and I promise you aren't actually stronger than I am."

Lilith growled. Another Duelist with special powers? Already this mission was becoming more of a pain in the ass than she'd bargained for. Still, the chance to destroy a powerful enemy didn't land in her lap as often as she'd like. Time to call Aqua's bluff.

"Fine. Let's see what you've got."

Aqua's expression changed ever so subtlely. He was smirking now. She wanted to fight him more than anything now. Good. As long as she wasn't focused on Anton he would have a chance to escape with the downed Savage Master eventually.

"Alright, have it your way. Let's duel!"

Lilith swiped her cards from her deck with incredible speed. She grinned as Aqua sighed at her antics. He was just angry that he wasn't going first. At least, that's what she believed.

"I set five cards and end my turn."

Lilith: 4000

Aqua: 4000

Aqua just shook his head. Lilith was plenty skilled he could tell that much. Every single one of those face-down cards was some sort of trap. Whether it be a card that acted as a monster, was meant to be destroyed, or was just a plain Trap card there was no denying that Lilith had one of the best opening moves he'd seen in a while. She wasn't going to let him know what her deck type was, and if he tried to summon a monster and failed she'd know how he was going to play because of his deck.

_What a bitch. She's just going to sit back and let me wear myself out in an attempt to get to her lifepoints. Well, I'm not going to just dance around to her tune like some moron. Especially not if her real goal is to harm that guy lying on the ground over there._

Aqua drew his six cards and smiled. His deck was already answering to his feelings.

"Y'know... it would've been easier just to walk away from this. You've probably already guessed what Attribute of monsters I'm going to use just from my name. However, I've changed a lot since the last time I dueled in public. The Dragon Sage being the reason. I now know that just sticking to one element and strategy doesn't always work. When I lost I disappeared from the center stage so I could train. Now, let's have you be the first one to witness the result! Wind monster, Swift Serpent, Special Summon!" (0/0)

A small, blue snake appeared on the field accompanied by a fierce gale that appeared to trap all of Lilith's face-down cards in ice. A loud hiss echoed throughout the area as the serpent turned its gaze on the Yilaster assassin.

"What the...?!"

"Guess you weren't expect that. I can special summon my monster to the field if you have more Spell or Trap cards set than I do. Plus, you cannot activate your Spell or Trap cards as long as this card remains on the field."

Lilith scowled for a second, then recovered her composure. Aqua wasn't half-bad but his monster was totally weak. There was no reason to Summon a monster like that unless he was planning to dump it for something more powerful. While the Wind monster was unexpected, she knew a good deal of Aqua's heavier-hitting monsters were Water attribute. At one tribute Aqua could bring out Mobius the Frost Monarch to destroy two of her set card, but that would be the end of his counterattack. He could try and protect his monster and make it into Mobius the Mega Monarch, but with all of her face-downs he wouldn't get far enough to even attempt that.

"... except I am not going to let you stop me. Plus, Mobius has a lot of weaknesses. Like the fact that it has to be Advance Summoned."

He read her mind again. Damn, his powers were going to make it a hassle to trick him. Still, he didn't seem to know what her cards work. Did his powers only work on non-Duel related thoughts?

"... no. I could read your mind and find out what your cards are. Heck, I could even pick up memories of your life with my powers. I am a refined Psychic Duelist. The Arcadia Movement was pretty thorough when they cultivated my powers. I suppose even Yilaster didn't know that remnants of that blasted cult still remained. After all the crap that happened in Neo Domino City the two groups were in tatters. It just wouldn't have been cost effective to spend all that time trying to keep tabs on the other group. However, I'm not here for revenge on Yilaster. I hate you guys, but I hate the Arcadia Movement just as much. They were the ones who ruined my life, after all. At least until I met the Dragon Sage. You should know... we are going to stop you. For the sake of the world that is yet to be born."

Lilith snarled. Now this bastard was just getting on her nerves. How dare he talk to her like she was as weak as Anton! He just admitted he wasn't taking this seriously.

"You'd better start using your full power, you low-life! I'm not here to play games. You're going to need any advantage you can get to beat me!"

"... it's funny you should say that. 'You're not here to play games?' What exactly do you think Duel Monsters is? As for using my full power? Fine, let's see if you can handle it. I may not ever use my Psychic powers to cheat, but I can certainly give this Duel my all as a Duelist! I play the spell card, Maelstrom Morph! The Reptile monster on my field is used a tribute to Special Summon a Dragon or Sea-Serpent monster from my deck as long as that monster has a different attribute than the monster being summoned."

Lilith's eyes narrowed again. He wasn't going to Tribute? A special summon would leave any monster he brought totally exposed to her counters. What was he thinking?

"I'll make sure you regret that! When your monster is summoned, I'll acti-"

"Don't bother. The Spell card I played negates the new monster's effect as cost to activate it, but rewards my new monster with the tribute monster's effect. Since I sent my Swift Serpent to the Grave that means the new monster gains his effect. Come forth, Levia-Dragon Daedalus! Ruler of the depths, rend this frozen field asunder with your titantic roar!" (2600/1500)

It was at this point Lilith realized she'd been the one underestimating her opponent. How was a lowly Psychic Duelist this powerful?! She was Yilaster, the destined rulers of this world. The Arcadia Movement, True Duelists, people playing for fun? Nonsense! They were all worms as far as she was concerned. How could she be losing to such an inferior being?

"... because you think of us..."

Aqua pointed to himself and then gestured to Anton, continuing his speech in the meantime.

"... because you think of us as inferior. We will always fight your kind and eventually, we will always win. Your outdated, elitist ways of thinking are nothing short of pathetic. You convince yourself you are better than we are and so you don't use your full power against us to start. It was the same for your lackey against that young man, wasn't it? Instead of trying to finish him from the start you toy with your so-called prey and let them slip from your grasp. That's not true strength. You have no honor, and now I will deliver your punishment. Taste humiliation. I banish two Dragon-type monsters from my hand and summon Tidal, Ruler of Waterfalls. I set two cards... and now you lose! I attack with both my monsters, for a total of 5200 points of damage."

Lilith: LOSE

Aqua: WIN

"Now, get out of our sight."

Lilith snarled at Aqua in her rage but spun about and walked off and vanished into a inky-black portal a second later. Aqua smiled to himself. She'd be back at some point to take him on again. She'd also most likely be after the young man laying unconscious as well. For now, however, the most important thing to thing about was getting him to a hospital. His injuries were pretty bad and it seemed like his duel and subsequent ambushing had taken their toll on just his body but his mind as well. So, just like him the Yilaster's powers could also hurt someone mentally. He'd never fought an Yilaster before, but it appeared that the merciless dueling strategies he'd learned from the Neo Arcadia Movement were finally paying off and helping him protect something other than himself.

"Come on, buddy. Let's get you some help."

**A FEW DAYS LATER...**

"... Ugh..."

Anton woke up, his vision slowly bringing his surroundings into focus. The last thing he remembered was... Oh shit!

"No!"

Anton sat up with a start and groaned in agony. The shock of his pain and the fact that he was wrapped in bandages in various places across his body and not shackles snapped him back to the present. He was... in a hospital.

_What happened...? I'm not back at the Yilaster's HQ? What's going on here?_

Aqua walked in at that moment and smirked at the bed-ridden Anton.

"Finally awake I see. You've been a pretty big pain in the ass, y'know?"

Anton focused his gaze on the unknown youth but didn't say anything.

"You don't talk much do you. Your Dueling Deck is pretty interesting though. There are a lot of cards I've never even heard of in there."

Anton's gaze turned to a glare. Who was this guy? Whoever he was, Anton didn't feel any hostility from him. So he wasn't an enemy... but he was pretty irritating regardless. Looking through someone else's deck without permission?

"Hey, I couldn't even hear your thoughts. I thought you were dead, or something."

That statement caused Anton to twitch. "Couldn't hear his thoughts...?" This man must be...

"A psychic Duelist?"

"Ah, so you can speak. That's right. I'm a psychic. I'm also the one who defeated that girl to bring you here."

Anton's eyes widened. This guy beat Lilith? How strong was he...?

"... I've fought the Dragon Sage pretty evenly before. So I'd like to think I'm pretty strong."

The Dragon Sage. This guy battled that monstrous Dragon fighter on an even level?

"... you're scary."

Aqua burst into laughter at that comment. Well, Anton might not say much but at least he was honest about his feelings.

"Actually, I'm Aqua la Cielo. Nice to meet you."

"... Anton Rider."

"Hmm... I'd like to let you rest a while, but I have some things I want to talk to you about. Namely, Yilaster's resurrection and those special cards you have..."

Anton narrowed his eyes. So, he wasn't saved just because this guy was strong and happened to be passing by. Well, he'd already decided that he was never going to help Yilaster again. This presented a unique opportunity and possibly a chance to make a new ally.

"... sure. I'll tell you everything. If you can beat me in a duel."

Aqua sighed.

"Really? Seriously? We have to duel for it?"

"We live in a world where everything is decided by the luck of the draw. Why should I act any different after a duel is over? The way I duel will be the way I live. Is there something wrong with that?"

Aqua smiled a knowing grin. Anton was more interesting than he initially thought. He'd pegged the boy as some wannabe badass emo kid. Turns out this young man had the same philosophy he did. Obviously expressed a little differently, but if everyone always agreed completely how boring would life be.

"Alright. Let's meet on the roof of the hospital in an hour. I'm sure the doctors would agree that you shouldn't just lay there forever."

Anton nodded back and held out his hand.

"I'd like my deck back in the meantime..."

"No."

Anton twitched again. What was this man playing at?

"Not until the duel is over. I promise I'll give it back no matter the result. However, I'd like to see how strong you are. To do so, I'll lend you a deck. I'll be playing my own deck but I have a feeling if you don't use your deck this duel will be even more interesting."

_What's this guy talking about? Even as a psychic duelist, he's a weird one. Alright, I suppose it won't hurt to play along for now. I feel like he's pretty trustworthy. I'm gonna hold him to giving back my deck though..._

The Savage Master nodded in agreement once more and then sat back and closed his eyes. He wanted to rest up before the duel. For some reason he still felt exhausted, even if his body was no longer in a lot of pain. Aqua's smirk faded and he got up to leave. He wanted to make sure Anton was one-hundred percent okay before he told him what was going on. Plus, he was worried that Yilaster might attack again and soon. He'd prepared and let Anton prepare in his own way.

"I'm looking forward to our Duel."

Aqua left the room and Anton was left alone with his thoughts. He drifted off to sleep for a light nap...

The eyes that gaze into chaos have finally opened. Your destiny has been laid out before you. Are you prepared to gaze upon madness and despair without averting your eyes?

Anton awoke with a start. The voice from his dream was fresh in his mind... but what did it mean? It was almost time for the Duel with Aqua, so he got dressed. Still, something about that dream was bothering him. Well, he'd just have to figure out what it meant later. He had other things to deal with right now. Throwing on his clothes, Anton walked out of the room, heading for the roof. If what Aqua was saying about fighting the Dragon Sage was even remotely true, he was in for one hell of a duel.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._

_Alright, so lots of stuff happened this chapter. We're introduced to Aqua, a duelist based off a person I know in real life who is very good at Dueling, and some backstory is shared. Lilith loses, though I'm sure she's only going to come back crazier and more powerful than ever. Anton hears a strange voice. I'm sure it's nothing important. In the meantime, Anton and Aqua prepare to square off in what is certainly going to be an epic battle! Tune in next time, and don't forget to leave a review! I could always use some constructive comments!_


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